With dental news in the UK press often about NHS access and workforce, the profession has, so far at least, been spared patients commenting on the latest dentists behaving (very) badly stories. Spare a thought then, for our North American colleagues.
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GDPUK has reported from time to time on fake dentists, most recently the case of a one man band caught operating from a hotel room in the USA. But this pales into insignificance with the scale of the problems now being reported much closer to UK borders.
One of the most enduring memories of Covid-19 lockdowns was the phenomenon of home working. And as the nation came to terms with restrictions on movement and socialising (Downing Street excepted), a new phrase entered the vocabulary – ‘zoom meetings.’
GDPUK readers may recall the report of how the GDC pushed on with recent fitness to practice proceedings, even as the council’s case unravelled. A new Freedom of Information (FOI) request has shed some light on the financial costs involved, and the GDC’s decision making processes.
Read more: GDC Spent £271,865 on 'no case to answer' Fitness to Practise Hearing
The latest figures from the GDC may offer a glimmer of hope for UK dentistry as it struggles with workforce shortages. Following the latest renewal cycle, the number of Dental Care Professionals (DCP’s) has risen. This is in contrast to recent years where the trend has been one of declining numbers.
One of the big changes post pandemic has been in the way that MP’s and much of the media reported on dentistry, and in particular dentists. But we may be returning to some finding it easier to blame the dental access crisis on the profession, rather than addressing its actual causes.
Read more: Return of the Greedy Dentist Persona as MP’s Get Desperate